Thank you, Mrs. Don-o.
Hinduism teaches that there is one Supreme Godhead. He has many names, which are descriptive; translated into English some names mean the Supreme Soul, the Supreme Controller, the All Powerful, the All Beautiful and Opulent, The Savior of the Poor and Fallen, and many more.
From Him springs all existences, all energies, and all souls, and He has many agents in this mortal world, called devatas, often taken to be “gods” - they are mortal creatures, with more powers than ordinary human beings, they are basically administors in God’s universal government.
[As an aside, the Vedas - Hindu scriptures - teach that this mortal realm is only a small portion of the totality of existence. There is also the eternal realm, Kingdom of God - one name in Sanskrit is “Para Vyom” - the Supreme Sky. The universe we see and know is basically created for the rehabilitation of souls who have turned away from God’s loving service.]
Ignorant Hindus sometimes think that these demi-gods are somehow supreme. In the Bhagavad Gita there are very clear instructions, that only the less intelligent worship these devatas. The devatas themselves must die, and they themselves worship that Supreme Godhead. Some of the demi-gods or devatas have frightening or ugly features; these can be compared to stern judges of criminals, executioners, and the like. None of them are meant to be worshiped as God.
There are many, many misconceptions about Hinduism, especailly since many westerners “took it up” and most of them got it really wrong!
Educated (in the sense of in their own scriptures and traditions) Hindus generally respect Christians and Jews as fellow monotheists.
(There is a problem with very aggressive and dishonest conversion efforts in India with some mostly Protestant sects; Mother Theresa was revered in India and many Hindu girls became nuns under her direction and I never heard that Hindus were upset by this.)
Thank you for this clear and serene exposition of Hindu spiritual thought, little jeremiah.